Greg Zuerlein looks broken after two horrific missed kicks
By Scott Rogust
The Dallas Cowboys looked to pull within four points of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but kicker Greg Zuerlein missed the field goal by a mile.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Dallas Cowboys officially began their 2021 seasons with their first drives ending in punts, but the offenses took over shortly afterwards. The Buccaneers held an early 14-7 lead over the Cowboys in the second quarter, and it looked as though the Cowboys were going to at least tie things up, before their offense sputtered in the red zone.
So, head coach Mike McCarthy called upon kicker Greg Zuerlein to attempt a 31-yard field goal to cut their deficit to 14-10. The problem is that Zuerlein shanked the football wide left on a brutal miss.
Cowboys: Greg Zuerlein’s struggles continued on the next drive
The kick was eerily reminiscent of Billy Cundiff’s miss in the 2011 AFC Championship Game.
On the first play of Tampa Bay’s subsequent drive, running back Ronald Jones lost the football on a “peanut punch” by Cowboys defensive lineman DeMarcus Lawrence, allowing Randy Gregory to recover the fumble. Five plays later, quarterback Dak Prescott hit wide receiver Amari Cooper in the end zone for a five-yard touchdown.
The Cowboys seemingly had the game-timing touchdown. The problem is, Zuerlein hit the left upright on the extra point attempt to leave Dallas down 14-13.
Zuerlein did redeem himself on the following drive. After Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs picked off a pass from quarterback Tom Brady that was tipped by running back Leonard Fournette. While the Cowboys did not reach the end zone, Zuerlein did make a 35-yard field goal to pull the Cowboys ahead of the Buccaneers 16-14.
It may have been a rough start of the game for Zuerlein, but there are still 16 games remaining in the season. There is always that.